


Air Mail

by courtts



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2017-04-09
Packaged: 2018-10-16 19:29:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10577982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/courtts/pseuds/courtts
Summary: The box is wrapped in crinkled packing paper, messily folded together at both ends. It’s covered in at least ten layers of packing tape so that its surface is smooth to the touch. And underneath it all, Ushijima sees his name in big, bold letters with even bolder hearts in the space surrounding it.There’s only one person this package could be from. There’s only one person he wants it to be from.During his six month stint abroad, Ushijima receives a delivery from the only person who matters.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Ushihina Prompts](https://ushihinaprompts.tumblr.com/)

Ushijima’s Sunday afternoon comes to a jolt when the buzzer rings, sending shrill noises of static through his apartment. He jumps up from his seat on the sofa, nearly losing his place in the book he had curled onto the couch to read, and wonders who could possibly want to see him at this time of the day.

His apartment is quiet on the weekends. He’s not the type to invite people over on his own accord, and no one comes to visit him unsolicited. Other than the sound of water running from the kitchen faucet or the clang of forks against a plate filled with bland chicken and vegetables, the residence is marked by silence.

The silence can be oppressive at times, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. It gives Ushijima a much needed reprieve from the hustle and bustle of practice, especially at the professional level where he is no longer considered the best of the best. And even if there is no one to greet him when he returns home weary, no one to shower him with hugs and barrage him with crazy tales of antics from their own day, Ushijima has learned to enjoy his own company.

He lets his heart rate settle to an appropriate level, then descends down the three flights of stairs to the entrance of his apartment complex. When he opens the door, he half-expects to see Tendou from his high school days, or Miya from his university team. He brushes those thoughts aside, and imagines being greeted by someone who shines as brightly as the sun. But then he remembers he has been living in America for three weeks now, even if only temporarily. He’s tens of thousands of miles away from the people who matter most.

Ushijima opens the door and is greeted by not a flash of orange, but a postman donning a clumsy smile. The postman takes a quick glance at the box in his hands, and furrows his brow as he tries to pronounce the name of its recipient. “I have a package for… Wah-kuh… toe-shee?” His words come out as more of a question than a statement.

Ushijima nods. “Yes, that’s me.”

“Ah, yes, good, good,” the postman says, “I was worried I had the wrong person for a second.” He fumbles with the package in his hands, giving it to Ushijima while trying not to send the tablet cradled in his arms hurtling to the ground.

Ushijima takes the package from the postman and gives it a visual inspection. The box is wrapped in crinkled packing paper, messily folded together at both ends. It’s covered in at least ten layers of packing tape so that its surface is smooth to the touch. And underneath it all, Ushijima sees his name in big, bold letters with even bolder hearts in the space surrounding it.

There’s only one person this package could be from. There’s only one person he wants it to be from.

Ushijima sets it on the ground beside him. He accepts the tablet from the postman and signs for the package. When he looks up, the postman has raised an eyebrow and his mouth is curved into a sly smile. “She’s a keeper,” he says in a sing-song voice. Ushijima doesn’t need to ask if he’s referring to the sender of the package.

“It’s a ‘he’,” Ushijima replies.

The postman lets out an involuntary “huh”, but the well-meaning grin makes its way back onto his face in no time. “Well then, _he’s_ a keeper,” he corrects himself. He laughs heartily before hanging his head in an odd whiplash of moods. “I wish my wife was still this romantic,” he says after letting out a loud sigh, “Consider yourself a lucky guy.”

As the postman walks away, Ushijima thinks to himself that people really _are_ more liberal in the States. It’s a refreshing change from the conservative traditions that define his own family household. But then he looks at the box on the ground, and his musings are quickly replaced with curiosity as to what’s inside.

Ushijima picks up the box, and immediately his phone starts to vibrate in his pocket. He cradles the package in one arm and pulls his phone out to see who the caller is. He sees Hinata Shouyou’s name flash on the screen, hesitates, and turns it off. Ushijima decides he can wait; he knows Hinata has spent the entire day glued to his laptop, refreshing the package’s tracking down to the minute. A few minutes more wouldn’t kill him.

Ushijima makes his back to his own apartment, locking the door before heading into the kitchen. He pulls out a pair of scissors from the drawer and jams it into the edge of the box, making quick work of the tape covering its surface. He leverages the box open with both of his hands and stares blankly when he sees what’s inside.

He pulls out a sweater: a turtleneck whose hue of orange rivals that of Hinata’s own hair. He runs his hand across it and concludes that it’s made of soft, but warm and suffocating wool. Then he looks outside. The sun is shining, the sky is clear, and the warm ocean breeze is drafting into his apartment from the open window. He looks back at the sweater, and wonders if Hinata knows that there are some regions of the United States that are actually temperate during the month of January. Such as the state of California he’s living in now.

Ushijima decides those details are trivial.

He takes off his shirt, folds it neatly, and sets it on the kitchen table. He picks up the sweater once more and pictures Hinata in front of him. He’s holding the oversized sweater in his hands, standing on the tips of his toes to hoist it above Ushijima’s head and slip it onto his body. Ushijima shuts his eyes, shakes his head, and puts on the sweater himself.

It fits perfectly.

The phone in Ushijima’s pocket begins to vibrate again. This time, he doesn’t hesitate to pick up.

“Did you get it?” the voice on the other end of the line blares. Ushijima winces and pulls the phone away from him; it’s loud enough to make his ears ring. “Ushiwaka!” Hinata snaps, “Did you get it?!”

“The sweater?” Ushijima asks, feigning ignorance.

“Um, duh! What else would I be talking about?” Ushijima pictures Hinata looking up at him with his lips puckered into a pout. He tries to suppress the smile forming on his face, and scolds himself when he snorts instead.

Ushijima takes another breath to compose himself. “I did,” he says.

“So? What’d ya think?” Hinata asks. His voice is getting faster and louder by the second, and it makes Ushijima’s heart rate rise. ”Did you like it? Isn’t it _awesome_?”

Unlike Hinata, however, Ushijima prefers to keep his emotions intact. He pauses for a moment, letting Hinata finish his string of questions before giving his own reply. “I didn’t expect to receive something like this in the mail,” he begins. Hinata makes a “mmhmm” sound on the other end of the line, prompting him to continue.

“And I don’t have much need for it in this weather.” He runs a hand up his back; he can already feel beads of sweat starting to form in the short time he’s worn the gift.

Ushijima hears static at the other end of the line. For a brief moment, he wonders if he might have been a little too blunt with his words. But that line of thought quickly disappears because Hinata’s not one to take no for an answer. Even though he can’t see him face to face, he knows Hinata is using all his willpower to keep himself from telling Ushijima to spit out the truth.

He exhales and says, “But I’m glad I received it.” Ushijima can picture Hinata’s lips curving up into a grin. “Thank you, Shouyou,” he finishes. The words bring a small smile to his own face.

Cheers erupt on the other side of the line. Ushijima pictures Hinata’s fists pump in the air and his signature jump of triumph. He feels satisfaction when he imagines Hinata’s grin stretching from ear to ear. He also feels a punch to the gut because he’s not there to see them with his own eyes.

Ushijima crosses his arms. He supposes this is enough for now, and certainly all he could ask for. Six months is but a small fraction of the time he hopes to spend with Hinata in his lifetime.

The rest of their conversation is mostly one-sided. Hinata rants about his new job in Sendai and raves about his new coaching position at the local high school, his mouth going a million miles a second. Ushijima savors every word that escapes from his lips. Hinata says goodbye with an “I love you,” and Ushijima tells him “I miss you” in reply. The words are the truth.

When Hinata hangs up, Ushijima realizes that he has no other plans for the rest of his day. He sits in the silence of his apartment for a few minutes more, then takes one last glance at the sweater. He looks up the directions to the city mall, grabs his keys, and heads out the door.

After all, a gift should never go unreciprocated.

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](http://courtto.tumblr.com/)


End file.
